Hoverflies

Hoverflies

 

I saw two hoverflies attend

A willowherb in bloom.

One perched to drink and would not shift

To give the other room.

 

The other levelled in the air

Unable to alight,

But fixed his eyes and kept the flower

Steady in his sight.

 

Satisfied, the drinker dropped

Half-senseless by the way;

I cannot tell what happened next

Because I did not stay,

 

But by my heart, I hope the other

Sought no deeper share,

But stared with longing all his life

And lingered in the air.

 

One was like a constant friend,

One like a passing lover:

One glad to drink and and fall away,

And one content to hover.

 

Song lyric by Giles Watson, 2013.

Done